The Gate of Gratitude

Psalm‬ ‭100‬:‭4‬-‭5‬, ‭ESV‬‬

Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

The Hebrew word which has been translated enter in Psalm 100:4 means “to come and go.”

So we come and go into the presence of God through thanksgiving.

If it feels like God is far away—and you’re yearning for his presence—start with gratitude. 

Let gratitude be the beginning and the end—the bookends to your day, your thoughts, your conversations, your prayers. 

When we live like this, our lives will change. The truth that God is good and his steadfast love endures forever will always be at the forefront of our life.

The apostle Paul understood this so well. In his letters to the churches, he talked about thanksgiving over 40 times, saying things like this:

Ephesians 5:20, ESV

giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

1 Thessalonians 5:18a, ESV

give thanks in all circumstances;  

And he practiced what he preached: 

• “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you” (Romans 1:8)

• “I always thank my God for you” (1 Corinthians 1:4)

• “I have not stopped giving thanks for you” (Ephesians 1:16)

• “I thank my God every time I remember you” (Philippians 1:3)

• “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you” (Colossians 1:3)

• “We always thank God for all of you” (1 Thessalonians 1:2)

• “I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers” (Philemon 1:4)

Paul, who suffered so much for the call of God on his life, remained persistently thankful.

Gratitude has so much power—a fact which was biblical long before it was scientific.  

Oh Lord, thank you! Please help gratitude be the foremost thing in our lives—the heart posture which begins and ends our days, our prayers, and our thoughts. Amen.

And Happy Thanksgiving from our APM family to yours!